New Meal Plans Offered for Fall

By Connect2Mason Director Christian Smith

Beginning this August, new meal plans will be offered. As previously announced, Freedom funds will no longer be available to freshmen. However, in their place, the All University Card Office is offering a new Block Meals plan.

The Block Meals plan is available with 130, 150, 175 and 200 meals per semester for $1,300, $1,350, $1,425 and $1,485 respectively. All options also include $100 in Bonus Dollars which can be used at all dining venues and at convenience stores at any time. This bonus money is meant to be used instead of or combined with meal plans when the price of food is less than or more than the equivalency rate of meal plans to dollars. A similar meal plan was available last year but included less variety in meals but a wider variety of what was previously referred to as Bonus Dining Dollars.

This year, the Traditional Meals plan offers 10 meals per week, 10 meals per week with $100 Bonus Dollars and 15 Meals per week with $100 Bonus Dollars for $1,275, $1,375, $1,575, $1,860 per semester respectively. In the 2008-2009 Academic Year, there were only two traditional meal plan options, 10 and 15 meal plans per week, each featuring $25 Bonus Dining Dollars. Those meal plans were $1,235 and $1,500 respectively.

The Ultimate meal plan, offering unlimited entry only into Southside, is making a return this year, but with only one option. Last year the Ultimate meal plan was offered with either $25 Bonus Dining Dollars or $125 Bonus Dining Dollars. This year, only $100 Bonus Dollars will be offered.

The Freedom Rings plan is making a comeback this year, unlike the Freedom Forward plan which will not be returning. Freedom will now cost $1,600.

All residential George Mason University students must purchase one of the above meal plans unless the are residents of areas that have full kitchens, residential advisors or seniors.

Commuting students and on-campus residents not required to purchase meal plans may buy the Green and Gold, Patriot or Super Patriot meal plans offering 25, 50 or 75 meals per semester respectively for $183.75, $367.50 and $551.25 respectively.